Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix (Oct. 29, 1682 - Feb. 1, 1761) was a French Jesuit priest, explorer, teacher, and writer. His writings are some of the earliest written accounts of North America.

Father Charlevoix was sent from France to explore Canada, partly to look for a route to the Pacific Ocean. (Charlevoix had previously taught grammar in Quebec, Canada for four years.) In 1719-1729, he traveled to the St. Lawrence River area, the Great Lakes region, and the Mississippi River. He noted that the land at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers would be a strategic location for settlement and fortification. Charlevoix also visited the island of Santo Domingo and survived a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico.

Charlevoix returned to France in 1723. He later wrote about his travels in his book, Histoire et Description Generale de la Nouvelle France, published in 1744, and Histoire de Saint-Domingue.